US President Donald Trump has made several recent moves that are catching the attention of the international community as they have implications for international relations, trade, and immigration through several controversial and assertive policy decisions, which have made him a polarizing figure.
Among his recent decisions have been the imposition of high tariffs, which have caused uncertainty in global markets, and the creation of a $100,000 H-1B visa fee to work in the United States, directly impacting India and its large number of highly skilled workers. As a result, Trump’s decisions are having a profound impact on global discussions on labor and economic policies and are generating a wave of discussion and backlash from both the United States and other countries.
Why do experts believe Modi’s popularity gives India an edge over Trump’s leadership?
Additionally, the administration’s high-profile military action against Venezuela, including airstrikes and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicol s Maduro, represents one of the most significant historical uses of U.S. military force in the Western Hemisphere over the past several decades and has enhanced Trump’s prominence in the international arena while generating a response from around the world.
While experts agree that Trump may see short-term advantages due to the Venezuela operation, they also believe these benefits will diminish when he leaves office. At the same time, comparisons between Trump and India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, with regard to their popularity, are beginning to emerge.
Can the U.S. really benefit from Venezuela’s oil without stability?
In conversation with India Today, Geopolitics expert Ian Bremmer expressed skepticism about any long-term benefit to America’s interests. According to Bremmer, when Trump leaves office at the end of 2029, those short-term benefits may no longer be available. He further contrasted that situation with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has maintained his position in office for more than a decade due to his continuous popularity, while Trump only has a fixed amount of time available to him at this stage in his presidency.
Furthermore, he stated that, unlike China, India, and Russia, leadership in America changes every four years and, as a result, there is no constant continuity regarding the direction of the policies within the United States. Lastly, according to him, the next president may have the opportunity to undo many of Donald Trump’s decisions, just as Donald Trump did with his predecessor’s policy decisions.
“Well, the next president can rip up a lot of what Trump does. This isn’t Xi Jinping. It’s not even Modi, who has now run the country for over 10 years in India and enjoys strong popularity in a democracy. This is Trump, who’s quite unpopular, 80 years old, and will be out in three years,” he was quoted as saying by India Today TV.
Are predictions about U.S. companies taking Venezuelan oil exaggerated?
According to Bremmer, the influence of global oil prices, the political stability of Venezuela, and the future direction of the United States after Donald Trump will determine whether the United States can gain a long-term benefit from Venezuelan oil. In conversation with India Today, Bremmer stated,” And oil, you know that the Venezuelans are only producing about 800,000 barrels a day right now. That used to be 3 million barrels. But in order to increase that, you need political stability.”
“And you need an economic environment that oil companies are going to believe in. You need a belief that those oil barrels will be profitable and energy prices are pretty low right now,” he added, as reported by India Today TV. “You also need a belief that the political system that Trump is supporting will continue to exist when Trump is no longer president in 2029,” the report further mentioned. Bremmer also stated that oil companies have a longer time frame for their investment cycles than any President of the United States will serve in office. Bremmer also rejected predictions that U.S. companies will simply take all of Venezuela’s oil, calling such forecasts “exaggerated.”